“Jeopardy!” hosts Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings are looking to steady the show’s ship after some rocky months on it.
Bialik spoke at length about the game show’s situation in an interview with NBC News.
“If you want to do the math, I think I’m technically doing more than half [of the episodes],” she said. “So my mandate is to do basically as many episodes as I can, given my schedule.”
Bialik also is busy with a sitcom that’s called “Call Me Kat” on Fox.
“To be honest, there’s been a lot unfolding over the last month, much of which the public knows about and a lot of which the public doesn’t necessarily need to know about,” Bialik said.
Obviously, that reference has to do with the former “Jeopardy!” host and executive producer Mike Richards. She talked about that time when he stepped away.
“What I can say is that when Mike [Richards] stepped down as host, what I said was, ‘How can I help?’,” she said. “Because I already had been welcomed into the ‘Jeopardy!’ family as someone who was to be doing prime-time stuff and the college ‘Jeopardy!’ specials.”
‘Jeopardy!’ Host Bialik Is Still Waiting To Meet Jennings In Person These Days
Bialik mentioned how she and Jennings were really looking to bring stability to the longtime game show.
“We’re kind of in that sort of mode: trying to get some stability and consistency back for our wonderful staff and crew,” she said. “Many of whom have been there for decades without any sort of drama or turmoil. That’s what I think Ken and I are both focusing on right now.”
Bialik, who has also starred in sitcoms “The Big Bang Theory” and “Blossom,” said she hasn’t recently crossed paths with Jennings.
“I’ve only gotten to meet him [Jennings] once,” the “Jeopardy!” host said. “COVID is really a bummer in so many ways. It’s devastating on a global level, but when you think of interpersonal things — he and I really haven’t been able to meet and spend time together.
“I got to meet him at the press conference, [but] otherwise, I don’t get to do a lot of face-to-face time with him,” Bialik said. “But I’m hoping that I get to, especially now that we’re being tested so regularly.”
Bialik is on “Jeopardy!” this week. She’s getting the chance to run the game while Matt Amodio looks to keep his winning streak alive.
For many seasons, fans of the game show grew quite accustomed to having Alex Trebek on their TV screens. But Trebek fought a brave battle with pancreatic cancer and died in November 2020. A series of guest hosts soon followed, all of them paying respects to him.
